Electronic apparatus for communication between electronic pen and external device

ABSTRACT

Provided is an electronic apparatus including a supporting member that supports an electronic pen including a terminal when the electronic pen is inserted into the apparatus, an electrode that is movably supported, and a movement mechanism that moves the electrode to a first position where the electrode comes into contact with the terminal by a force received from the electronic pen, when the electronic pen is inserted into the apparatus.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 USC 119 fromJapanese Patent Application No. 2015-0256404 filed Dec. 28, 2015.

BACKGROUND

(i) Technical Field

The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus.

(ii) Related Art

There have been known electronic apparatuses that are electricallyconnected to an electronic pen inserted thereinto.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided an electronicapparatus including:

a supporting member that supports an electronic pen including a terminalwhen the electronic pen is inserted into the apparatus;

an electrode that is movably supported; and

a movement mechanism that moves the electrode to a first position wherethe electrode comes into contact with the terminal by a force receivedfrom the electronic pen, when the electronic pen is inserted into theapparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described indetail based on the following figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of anelectronic pen system according to an example;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an encoded image;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating a configuration of anelectronic pen;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating the electronic pen having apen tip protruding therefrom;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a cradle;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state where the electronic pen isinserted into the cradle;

FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C are enlarged views of a plate member of a tipholding member;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of an electrode;

FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams illustrating two electrodes connected toone FPC;

FIGS. 10A and 10B are enlarged views of a recess and a locking member;

FIGS. 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating a recess according to amodification example;

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a cradle according to amodification example;

FIGS. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating an example of an electronicpen according to a modification example;

FIGS. 14A and 14B are diagrams illustrating an example of a cradleaccording to a modification example; and

FIGS. 15A and 15B are diagrams illustrating an example of the behaviorof an electronic pen inserted into a cradle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION [1] Example

FIG. 1 illustrates the overall configuration of an electronic pen system100 according to an example. The electronic pen system 100 includes anelectronic pen 1, a cradle 2, a medium 200, and a personal computer (PC)300. The electronic pen 1 realizes a function of allowing a user towrite a character or a figure on the medium 200 by his or her hand and afunction of capturing an encoded image formed on the medium 200. Theencoded image formed on the medium 200 is obtained by encoding andimaging information in accordance with a determined encoding scheme.

The cradle 2 is an electronic apparatus that electrically connected tothe electronic pen 1 to mediate communication between the electronic pen1 and an external device and supply power to the electronic pen 1 (inother words, has a communication function and a charging function). Thecradle 2 has a hole 3 into which the electronic pen 1 is inserted, andis electrically connected to the electronic pen 1 by inserting theelectronic pen 1 into the hole 3.

The medium 200 may be formed of paper or plastic such as an OHP sheet,and any of other materials, or may be electronic paper having displaycontents electrically rewritten thereon. When information is decodedfrom an encoded image at a position designated by the electronic pen 1,the PC 300 executes processing using the decoded information. Forexample, the PC 300 electronizes contents written by a user's hand usingthe electronic pen 1 to thereby generate electronic data indicating anelectronic document.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an encoded image. As illustrated inFIG. 2, the encoded image is constituted by a set of plural point-likeimages. In FIG. 2, rectangular regions A1 and A2 colored in blackcorrespond to regions in which a point-like image is disposed, andregions A3 to A9 filled by oblique lines correspond to regions in whicha point-like image is not disposed. The encoded image is an imageindicating identification information for identifying the medium 200 orposition information indicating a position on the medium 200, and hasinformation indicated in accordance with an arrangement pattern of apoint-like image.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a configuration of the electronic pen 1. Theelectronic pen 1 in the drawing includes a housing 10, a frame 20, anelectronic component group 30, a refill 40, a knocking member 50, ashaft 60, and a supporting member 70. FIG. 3A illustrates the electronicpen 1 viewed from the width direction, and FIG. 3B illustrates theelectronic pen 1 when the knocking member 50 is viewed from the frontside. In the electronic pen 1, a side to which a pen tip 41 to bedescribed later is attached is assumed to be a front side, and a sideopposite thereto is assumed to be a back side.

The housing 10 is a long member having a pipe-shaped portion, and isformed of a nonmetallic material (for example, a resin material). Thehousing 10 includes a cylindrical portion 11 having a cylindrical shape,and a tip portion 12 which is formed at the front side of thecylindrical portion 11, has a tapered shape, and has the pen tip 41, tobe described later, protruding therefrom. An internal space 15 having acolumnar shape is formed on an inner circumferential surface 111 side ofthe cylindrical portion 11. Portions included in the electronic pen 1are stored in the internal space 15, that is, inside the housing 10.

An opening 16 serving as a path during the protrusion of the pen tip 41,to be described later, from the housing 10 and an opening 17 serving asa path of light during the imaging of the above-mentioned encoded imageare formed in the tip portion 12. In addition, a recess 18 is formed inthe cylindrical portion 11 of the housing 10. The recess 18 is a portionthat comes into contact with a member (to be described later in detail)which pushes the electronic pen 1 inserted in to the cradle 2 so as toprevent the rotation of the electronic pen.

The frame 20 is a framework which is fixed to the housing 10 andsupports the electronic component group 30. The frame 20 includes afixed portion 21, a guiding portion 22, and a supporting portion 23. Thefixed portion 21 has a surface having a size and a shape which arecommon to the inner circumferential surface 111 of the cylindricalportion 11, and is fixed to the inner circumferential surface 111through adhesion or the like. The guiding portion 22 has a shape of twobars, and movably supports a slider 71, included in the supportingmember 70 to be described later, along the bars. The supporting portion23 supports a substrate 31 and a battery 36 that are included in theelectronic component group 30 to be described later.

The electronic component group 30 is plural electronic components forallowing the electronic pen 1 to realize a function of capturing theabove-mentioned encoded image. The electronic component group 30includes the substrate 31, an irradiation device 32, a photographingdevice 33, a pressure sensor 34, a flexible printed circuit 35, thebattery 36, and plural cradle terminals 37.

The substrate 31 includes a computation device including a centralprocessing unit (CPU) or an application specific integrated circuit(ASIC), a memory, and the like, and performs a process of managing apower supply of the electronic pen 1, a process of controlling thedriving of the irradiation device 32 and the photographing device 33, aprocess of photographing an encoded image, a process of transmitting thephotographed encoded image to the PC 300, and the like.

The irradiation device 32 includes a light source such as a lightemitting diode (LED), and performs irradiation with light emitted fromthe light source (infrared light in this example) in a direction of theopening 17. The photographing device 33 includes a lens, a narrowingportion, a reflector, an image sensor, and the like, and receives lightincident from the opening 17 to photograph a subject (for example, theabove-mentioned coded image).

The pressure sensor 34 measures a force for pushing the pen tip 41 to bedescribed later. The force for pushing the pen tip 41 refers to pressureacting on the pen tip 41 pushed against a medium during the writingusing the electronic pen 1, that is, refers to writing pressure. Theflexible printed circuit 35 is a substrate that maintains its electricalcharacteristics even when the flexible printed circuit is repeatedlydeformed, and electrically connects the substrate 31 and the pressuresensor 34 to each other. The battery 36 is, for example, a rechargeablebattery, and supplies power for driving the electronic pen 1 to eachportion of the electronic pen 1.

All of the plural cradle terminals 37 are terminals provided in thecylindrical portion 11 of the housing 10, and are individuallyelectrically connected to the substrate 31. The cradle terminal 37 is anexample of a “terminal” of the present invention. The cradle terminal 37comes into contact with an electrode of the cradle 2 in a state wherethe electronic pen 1 is inserted into the cradle 2, and electricallyconnects the substrate 31 and the cradle 2 to each other. Thereby, anexternal device and the substrate 31 connected to each other through thecradle 2 communicate with each other, or power supplied from theexternal device is supplied to the substrate 31. When power is suppliedto the substrate 31 through the cradle terminal 37, the substrateoperates the substrate itself and each portion by the supplied power andcharges the battery 36.

The refill 40 is a so-called spare lead, and is configured to be removedfrom the electronic pen 1 and to be capable of being replaced withanother refill 40. The refill 40 is a straight bar-shaped member, and ismovably supported by the supporting member 70 to be described later in alongitudinal direction B1 indicated by an arrow in the drawing. Thelongitudinal direction B1 refers to a direction along the length of thebar-shaped refill 40. The refill 40 includes the pen tip 41 at the frontside thereof, and includes an ink storage portion 42 at the back side ofthe pen tip 41.

The pen tip 41 is disposed at a position in which the refill 40protrudes from the opening 16 when moving to the longitudinal directionB1. Since the opening 17 serving as a path of light is larger than theopening 16, the pen tip 41 is disposed at a position separated from theaxis of the cylindrical portion 11, in other words, a position closer tothe cylindrical portion 11 side than the axis. In the electronic pen 1,a side coming near the pen tip 41 (left side in FIG. 3A) is assumed tobe a pen tip side. The cradle terminal 37 is provided on a side oppositeto the pen tip side. In the electronic pen 1, a side in which the cradleterminal 37 is provided (right side in FIG. 3A) is assumed to be acradle terminal side.

The ink storage portion 42 has a shape of a rotating body of which theaxis is along the longitudinal direction B1 (specifically, a cylinder),and stores ink to be supplied to the pen tip 41 in a hollow insidethereof. In FIGS. 3A and 3B, the pen tip 41 is drawn back into thehousing 10. However, when the pen tip 41 is moved in a forward directionB2 directed to the front side of the electronic pen 1 from the back sidethereof (may be moved in a direction directed to the front side alongthe longitudinal direction B1) and protrudes from the housing 10, awriting operation is performed by pushing the pen tip 41 against amedium, and thus ink is ejected from the pen tip 41 to thereby draw acharacter or a pattern.

The knocking member 50 is a member to which a force for allowing the pentip 41 to protrude to the outside of the housing 10 is applied. Theknocking member 50 comes into contact with an object (for example, auser's finger) behind the refill 40 and has a force from the objectapplied thereto. The knocking member 50 transmits a force applied fromthe outside to the shaft 60.

The shaft 60 is an elongate bar-shaped member formed of stainless steelin this example. The shaft 60 transmits a force (force received from theoutside by the knocking member 50) which is received from the outsidebehind the refill 40 to move the refill 40 in the longitudinal directionB1. When a forward force is applied to the knocking member 50, the shaft60 is moved forwardly by the force transmitted from the knocking member50. A front end of the shaft 60 is fixed to the supporting member 70.

The supporting member 70 is a member that movably supports the refill 40in the longitudinal direction B1 by having the refill 40 fixed theretoand moving with the frame 20 as a guide. The supporting member 70includes the slider 71 and a spring 72. The slider 71 is guided by theguiding portion 22 included in the frame 20 and is moved along thelongitudinal direction B1. The slider 71 has the rear end of the refill40 fixed thereto and has the front end of the shaft 60 fixed thereto.For this reason, when the shaft 60 is moved forwardly, the slider 71 isalso moved forwardly, and the refill 40 is also moved forwardlyaccordingly.

The slider 71 is provided with the pressure sensor 34 mentioned above.The pressure sensor 34 is provided at a position where the pressuresensor 34 comes into contact with the rear end of the refill 40. Forthis reason, when the pen tip 41 of the refill 40 is pushed against amedium, a reaction force from the medium with respect to pressure(writing pressure) of the pen tip 41 which is applied to the medium istransmitted to the pressure sensor 34 through the refill 40 and ismeasured as pressure.

The spring 72 is configured such that the front end thereof comes intocontact with the fixed portion 21 of the frame 20 and is configured notto be moved forwardly any more. In addition, the spring 72 has a rearend that comes into contact with the slider 71 and applies a rearwardforce to the slider 71. Thereby, even when the front side of theelectronic pen 1 is directed vertically downward, the refill 40 is notrushed out. However, when a force is applied to the knocking member 50,the shaft 60 and the supporting member 70 are moved forwardly, and thusthe pen tip 41 of the refill 40 protrudes from the housing 10.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate the electronic pen 1 having the pen tip 41protruding therefrom. As illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B, when theknocking member 50 is moved forwardly, a switch for starting up thesubstrate 31 is pushed down by the knocking member 50, and power issupplied to each portion in the electronic component group 30. Power issupplied to the pressure sensor 34 through the flexible printed circuit35. In addition, a signal from the pressure sensor 34 is transmitted tothe substrate 31 through the flexible printed circuit 35.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate a state where the pen tip 41 is pushedagainst the medium 200. In this state, the pressure sensor 34 measureswriting pressure, a value of the measured writing pressure is suppliedto the substrate 31 through the flexible printed circuit 35. Forexample, when writing pressure having a value equal to or greater than athreshold value is measured, the substrate 31 performs control so as todrive the irradiation device 32 and the photographing device 33.Thereby, infrared light emitted from the irradiation device 32 reaches aregion R of the medium 200 through the opening 17, and infrared light(diffused and reflected light) which is diffused and reflected in theregion R reaches the photographing device 33. The diffused and reflectedlight indicates an encoded image formed in the region R.

The region R is a region located at a position corresponding to acontact position P1 in which the pen tip 41 comes into contact with themedium 200. Specifically, the region R is present at a position shiftedin a direction directed to the photographing device 33 from the refill40 by a distance between the refill 40 and the photographing device 33,rather than being present at the contact position P1. The photographingdevice 33 is a sensor that reads light from the region R, andphotographs an encoded image indicated by the read light (diffused andreflected light).

The photographing device 33 performs the photographing at a frame rate(for example, 60 frames per second (fps)) which is determined inadvance. The substrate 31 decodes information indicated by the encodedimage from the photographed encoded image to thereby extractidentification information and position information. For thisextraction, a well-known technique may be used, and, for example, atechnique disclosed in JP-A-2013-152705 is used. The substrate 31transmits the extracted pieces of information to the PC 300.

FIG. 5 illustrates a configuration of the cradle 2. FIG. 5 illustratesthe cradle 2 installed on a desk or the like when viewed in a horizontaldirection. The cradle 2 has a shape covering the electronic pen 1inserted thereinto, but FIG. 5 illustrates an end face of a memberhaving a shape covering the electronic pen 1 for the sake ofunderstanding the inside of the cradle 2. The cradle 2 includes asupporting member 210, an electrode portion 220, a movement mechanism400, a wiring member 260, a substrate 270, a pen locking mechanism 280,and a roller 290.

The supporting member 210 is a member that supports the electronic pen 1inserted into the cradle 2. The supporting member 210 forms the outercircumference of the hole 3 into which the electronic pen 1 is inserted.The supporting member 210 includes a first supporting member 211 and asecond supporting member 212. The first supporting member 211 includes acontact surface 211 s that comes into contact with the insertedelectronic pen 1, and supports the pen tip side of the electronic pen 1which is described in FIGS. 3A and 3B. The second supporting member 212includes a contact surface 212 s that comes into contact with theinserted electronic pen 1, and supports the cradle terminal side of theelectronic pen 1. Electrode holes 213 and 214 for transmitting anelectrode included in the electrode portion 220 to be described laterare formed in the second supporting member.

The electrode portion 220 includes electrodes 221 and 222 and rotationaxes 223 and 224. The electrodes 221 and 222 are movably supported. Indetail, the electrode 221 is rotatably supported centering on therotation axis 223, and is disposed such that a tip 221 p thereofprotrudes from the contact surface 212 s of the second supporting member212 through the electrode hole 213 by the rotation of the electrode.FIG. 5 illustrates a state where the tip 221 p is drawn back furtherthan the contact surface 212 s. The electrode 222 is rotatably supportedcentering on the rotation axis 224, and is disposed such that a tip 222p thereof protrudes from the contact surface 212 s of the secondsupporting member 212 through the electrode hole 214 by the rotation ofthe electrode. FIG. 5 illustrates a state where the tip 222 p isretracted further than the contact surface 212 s.

When the electronic pen 1 is inserted into the cradle 2, the movementmechanism 400 moves the electrodes 221 and 222 to a position(hereinafter, referred to as a “first position”) which comes intocontact with the cradle terminal 37 by a force received from theelectronic pen 1. The movement mechanism 400 includes a tip holdingmember 230, an electrode holding member 240, and a coil spring 250.

The tip holding member 230 is a member against which the tip portion 12of the inserted electronic pen 1 is pushed, and holds the pushed tipportion 12. The tip holding member 230 includes a plate member 231 and afulcrum member 232. The plate member 231 is a plate-shaped member, andis rotatably supported centering on the fulcrum member 232 which is acolumnar member. The tip portion 12 of the electronic pen 1 isconfigured such that a contact region 233 of the plate member 231 on thefirst supporting member 211 side comes into contact with the platemember 231. The plate member 231 is configured such that a contactregion 234 on a side opposite to the contact region 233 with the fulcrummember 232 interposed therebetween comes into contact with the electrodeholding member 240.

The electrode holding member 240 is a member that holds the electrode221 and the electrode 222. The electrode holding member 240 includes afirst plate member 241 and a second plate member 242. The first platemember 241 brings a vertically downward end into contact with thecontact region 234 of the plate member 231 and is supported by the tipholding member 230. When the plate member 231 of the tip holding member230 rotates around the fulcrum member 232, the first plate member 241 ismoved up and down accordingly.

The first plate member 241 has electrode holes 243 and 244 formed on avertically upward side thereof. A rear end 221 q side opposite to thetip 221 p of the electrode 221 passes through the electrode hole 243,and a rear end 222 q side opposite to the tip 222 p of the electrode 222passes through the electrode hole 244. In the state illustrated in FIG.5, rear end sides of both the electrodes receive a vertically downwardforce by the first plate member 241 and rotate around the respectiverotation axes by the force, so that the tips of both the electrodes aredrawn back further than the contact surface 212 s of the secondsupporting member 212.

The second plate member 242 is configured such that one end thereof isfixed to the first plate member 241 and one end of the coil spring 250is in contact with a surface facing vertically upward. The other end ofthe coil spring 250 is in contact with the second supporting member 212,and it is assumed that this position is not moved. In other words, thesecond plate member 242 receives a vertically downward force from thecoil spring 250. A force F1 which is the sum of the force received fromthe coil spring 250 and gravity applied to the first plate member 241and the second plate member 242 is applied to the contact region 234 ofthe plate member 231 in a vertically downward direction. Rear end sidesof the electrode 221 and the electrode 222 are pushed verticallydownward by the force F1, and the contact region 233 side of the platemember 231 is pushed vertically upward.

The wiring member 260 is a member having a wiring that electricallyconnects the electrode portion 220 and the substrate 270 to each other.The wiring member 260 includes a first flexible printed circuit (FPC)261 and a second FPC 262. The first FPC 261 is configured such that oneend thereof is soldered to the electrode 221 by solder 263 on a sidecloser to the rear end 221 q side than the electrode hole 243 and theother end thereof is connected to the substrate 270. The second FPC 262is configured such that one end thereof is soldered to the electrode 222by solder 264 on a side closer to the rear end 222 q side than theelectrode hole 244 and the other end thereof is connected to thesubstrate 270. Thereby, the electrodes and the substrate 270 areelectrically connected to each other.

The substrate 270 is connected to an external power supply and externaldevice not shown in the drawing, and charges the battery 36 of theelectronic pen 1 and mediates communication between the electronic pen 1and the external device when the electronic pen 1 is connected theretothrough the electrode 221 and the electrode 222. The substrate 270 is anexample of an “electronic component” of the present invention.Meanwhile, another electronic component may be provided instead of thesubstrate 270 (for example, a terminal for connecting a cable to thesubstrate in a case where the substrate is externally provided).

The pen locking mechanism 280 is a mechanism that locks the electronicpen 1 inserted into the cradle 2 so as to prevent the electronic penfrom rotating around the axis of the cylindrical portion 11. The roller290 is a member that pushes the cradle terminal side of the electronicpen 1 inserted into the cradle 2 against the second supporting member212. The pen locking mechanism 280 and the roller 290 will be describedlater in detail.

FIG. 6 illustrates a state where the electronic pen 1 is inserted intothe cradle 2. The electronic pen 1 inserted into the cradle 2 by a useris moved in an insertion direction B11 and is supported by the pen tipside thereof that comes into contact with the first supporting member211, the cradle terminal side thereof that comes into contact with thesecond supporting member 212, and the tip portion 12 that comes intocontact with the tip holding member 230. In the tip holding member 230,a hole is provided at a location in which the pen tip 41 of theelectronic pen 1 inserted into the cradle is positioned. The shape ofthe hole will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 7A to 7C.

FIGS. 7A to 7C illustrate the plate member 231 of the tip holding member230 in an enlarged manner. The plate member 231 includes a hole 235. Thehole 235 includes a step surface 236 and an opening 237. The hole 235 isa hole which is configured such that a side having the tip portion 12 ofthe electronic pen 1 inserted thereinto is wide and which becomesnarrower toward the opposite side. In addition, the hole 235 is narrowedin the middle thereof, and the step surface 236 is formed in a steppedportion thereof. The step surface 236 is a surface facing the tipportion 12 side, and has a circular ring shape.

An inner edge 238 of the step surface 236 has such a size as to make thepen tip 41 pass therethrough but not to make the tip portion 12 of thehousing 10 pass therethrough. In addition, the opening 237 has such asize as to make the pen tip 41 pass therethrough. Thereby, in a casewhere the tip portion 12 having the pen tip 41 protruding therefrom isinserted as illustrated in FIG. 7A, the pen tip 41 passes through theinner edge 238 and the opening 237 as illustrated in FIG. 7B, while thetip portion 12 is stopped while being in contact with the step surface236. A region of the step surface 236 which comes into contact with thetip portion 12 is the contact region 233 illustrated in FIG. 5.

In this manner, the providing of the hole 235 prevents the pen tip 41from coming into contact with the tip holding member 230 even in a statewhere the pen tip 41 of the electronic pen 1 protrudes. In addition,since the pen tip side of the electronic pen 1 comes to the contactregion 233 side, the electronic pen 1 is supported by making the cradleterminal 37 face toward the electrodes 221 and 222.

In addition, even in a case where the electronic pen 1 having the pentip 41 not protruding is inserted, the tip portion 12 is stopped whilebeing in contact with the step surface 236 as illustrated in FIG. 7C. Inthis manner, the electronic pen 1 is held by the tip holding member 230regardless of the state of the pen tip 41 in the electronic pen 1. Inaddition, a distance between the cradle terminal 37 and the tip holdingmember 230 during the insertion of the electronic pen 1 into the cradle2 is common to a state where the pen tip 41 protrudes and a state wherethe pen tip 41 does not protrude, and thus the cradle terminals 37 comeinto contact with the electrodes 221 and 222 moved to the firstposition.

Referring back to FIG. 6, a vertically downward force F2 is applied tothe contact region 233 of the plate member 231 of the tip holding member230 by the weight of the electronic pen 1. A vertically upward force F3is applied to the contact region 234 on the opposite side through thefulcrum member 232 by the force F2. A distance between the contactregion 234 and the fulcrum member 232 is shorter than a distance betweenthe contact region 233 and the fulcrum member 232. For this reason, theforce F3 becomes smaller than the force F2, but becomes larger than theforce F1 (force which is the sum of a force from the coil spring 250 andgravity applied to the first plate member 241 and the second platemember 242) which is illustrated in FIG. 5.

For this reason, the contact region 234 side of the plate member 231 ispushed vertically upward, and the electrode holding member 240 is pushedup. As a result, the tips 221 p and 222 p of the respective electrodes221 and 222 protrude from the contact surface 212 s of the secondsupporting member 212 by the rotation of the electrodes 221 and 222. Atthis time, the electronic pen 1 is inserted up to a position where thetip portion 12 pushes down the plate member 231, and the cradle terminal37 reaches a position where the electrode holes 213 and 214 face eachother. For this reason, the tip 221 p of the electrode 221 protrudingfrom the electrode hole 213 and the tip 222 p of the electrode 222protruding from the electrode hole 214 come into contact with thecorresponding cradle terminals 37, respectively.

As described above, the tip holding member 230 is a member having aposture changing by being pushed against the electronic pen 1 insertedinto the cradle 2, and is an example of a “posture changing member” ofthe present invention. The term “posture” as used herein refers to thedirection, position, shape, or the like of the member. In this example,the direction of the tip holding member 230 changes. In addition, thetip holding member 230 has a posture changing by the contact region 233,which is a portion that comes into contact with the electronic pen 1,being pushed down due to the weight of the electronic pen 1. Themovement mechanism 400 moves the electrodes 221 and 222 up to theabove-mentioned first position (position where the electrode comes intocontact with the cradle terminal 37) by a force applied by the tipholding member 230 having a changed posture. The force applied by thetip holding member 230 having a changed posture is applied to theelectrodes 221 and 222 through the electrode holding member 240.

When the electrode of the cradle is fixed while protruding, theelectrode and the cradle terminal are rubbed against each other, andthus both the electrode and the cradle terminal are worn away. In thisexample, since the electrode protrudes by the electronic pen 1 beinginserted, the abrasion of the electrode and the cradle terminal issuppressed as compared with a case where the electrode is fixed to thefirst position (position where the electrode comes into contact with thecradle terminal). In addition, the electrode fixed while protruding isalso rubbed against the housing, and thus serves as a resistor duringthe insertion of the electronic pen 1.

In this example, since the electrode does not protrude during theinsertion of the electronic pen 1 and is not rubbed against the housing10, resistance during the insertion of the electronic pen 1 becomessmaller than that in a case where the electrode is fixed to the firstposition. In addition, since the posture of the tip holding member 230changes due to the weight of the electronic pen 1, the electrodes 221and 222 are moved to the first position even when a person does notapply a force during the insertion of the electronic pen 1.

When the electrode holding member 240 is pushed up, the rear end 221 qof the electrode 221 and the rear end 222 q of the electrode 222 arealso pushed up. In this manner, even when the electrode is moved, theelectrodes and the substrate 270 are connected to each other through theFPCs 261 and 262 which are wiring members maintaining electricalcharacteristics in spite of being deformed. In addition, each of theFPCs has a length depending on a distance by which the electrode ismoved. The length will be described with reference to FIG. 8.

FIG. 8 illustrates the electrode 221 in an enlarged manner. When theelectrode 221 rotates from the state illustrated in FIG. 5 to the stateillustrated in FIG. 6, an end 261 p of the FPC 261 which is fixed to theelectrode 221 is moved by a distance L1. In this case, the FPC 261becomes longer than the sum of a distance L2 between both ends of theFPC itself and the distance L1 in the state illustrated in FIG. 5.Thereby, even when the electrode is moved, connection between thesubstrate 270 and the electrode is maintained.

In addition, in the electronic pen 1, the rear end 221 q side of theelectrode 221 and the rear end 222 q side of the electrode 222 areconnected to ends (ends 261 p and 262 p illustrated in FIG. 6) ofseparate flexible printed circuits (FPC), respectively. When rear endsides of both the electrodes are connected an end of one FPC, thefollowing problem occurs.

FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate electrodes 221 x and 222 x connected to oneFPC 265. FIG. 9A illustrates both the electrodes when the tips of therespective electrodes protrude from the contact surface 212 s of thesecond supporting member, and FIG. 9B illustrates both the electrodeswhen the tips of the respective electrodes are drawn from the contactsurface 212 s. In FIG. 9A, an end 265 p of the FPC 265 connected to therear end sides of both the electrodes has a shape of one straight plate.On the other hand, in FIG. 9B, distortion occurs in portions of the end265 p into which both the electrodes are inserted.

In this manner, in the examples illustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B, aportion of a force for moving the electrode to a first position may beused as a force for deforming the end 265 p of the FPC 265, and theelectrode may not be moved up to the first position depending on therigidity of the end 265 p. In the electronic pen 1, the rear end sidesof both the electrodes are connected to ends of separate FPCs,respectively, as described above, and thus a force is not required todeform the end of the FPC, and the electrodes are easily moved to thefirst position as compared to the examples illustrated in FIGS. 9A and9B. In addition, a distance between the two electrodes may be designedto be shorter than that in the example illustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B.

The pen locking mechanism 280 includes a push member 281 and a lockingmember 282. The push member 281 includes a spring and the like, andpushes the locking member 282 against the electronic pen 1 by applying aforce directed toward the electronic pen 1 side. When the electronic pen1 is inserted into the cradle 2, the pen locking mechanism 280 isdisposed such that the recess 18 of the housing 10 is located at aposition where the locking member 282 is pushed.

FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate the recess 18 and the locking member 282 inan enlarged manner. FIG. 10A illustrates a cross-section of the housing10 including the recess 18. The recess 18 is formed by a recess surface181 having an arc-shaped cross-section. The locking member 282 is amember which is pushed against the recess 18 of the electronic pen 1inserted into the cradle 2, and is an example of a “push member” of thepresent invention. The locking member 282 includes a disk-shaped diskportion 283 and a rotation axis 284 rotatably supporting the diskportion 283. The rotation axis 284 is supported by the push member 281not shown in the drawing. The radius of the recess surface 181 is largerthan the radius of an outer circumferential surface 285. Thereby, whenthe locking member 282 is pushed against the recess 18, the outercircumferential surface 285 of the disk portion 283 comes into contactwith the recess surface 181.

When the electronic pen 1 is extracted from the cradle 2, the housing 10is moved in an extraction direction B12. Then, the disk portion 283 ispushed back while rotating by friction with the recess surface 181. Whenthe disk portion 283 is not rotated, the friction serves as a resistanceforce during the extraction of the electronic pen 1. However, in thisexample, the friction is converted into a turning force of the diskportion 283. For this reason, a resistance force during the extractionof the electronic pen 1 becomes smaller than that in a case where thedisk portion 283 is not rotated.

FIG. 10B illustrates the recess 18 viewed from the front side and arotation direction B13 when the housing 10 is rotated around the axis ofthe cylindrical portion 11. A flat lateral side 182 is formed on therotation direction B13 side of the recess surface 181. For this reason,in a case where a force for performing rotation in the rotationdirection B13 is applied to the electronic pen 1, the disk portion 283is caught by the lateral side 182, and thus the rotation is notperformed any more. In this manner, the electronic pen 1 inserted intothe cradle 2 is not rotated by the pen locking mechanism 280.

The roller 290 includes a disk portion 291 having a disk shape and arotation axis 292 rotatably supporting the disk portion 291. When theelectronic pen 1 is inserted into the cradle 2, the disk portion 291comes into contact with the housing 10 and pushes the electronic pen 1to the second supporting member 212 side. The disk portion 291 pushesthe electronic pen 1 while rotating by friction with the housing 10, andthus a resistance force during the insertion of the electronic pen 1becomes smaller than that in a case where the disk portion 291 is notrotated.

When the electronic pen 1 is extracted from the cradle 2, the forces F2and F3 illustrated in FIG. 6, having been applied by the electronic pen1, are not applied, and thus the rear end sides of the respectiveelectrodes 221 and 222 are pushed vertically downward by the force F1 asillustrated in FIG. 5, and the contact region 233 side of the platemember 231 is pushed vertically upward. In this manner, when theelectronic pen 1 is extracted from the cradle 2, the movement mechanism400 moves the electrodes 221 and 222 up to a position (hereinafter,referred to as a “second position”) where the electronic pen 1 islocated before the electronic pen is inserted.

The force F1 is applied to the tip holding member 230 by the electrodeholding member 240 and the coil spring 250. In this manner, when theelectronic pen 1 is extracted from the cradle 2, the movement mechanism400 applies the force F1 for returning the tip holding member 230(example of a posture changing member) to its original posture to thetip holding member 230 to thereby move the electrodes 221 and 222 up tothe above-mentioned second position. Thereby, the abrasion of the cradleterminal 37 during the extraction of the electronic pen 1 is suppressedas compared with a case where the electrodes 221 and 222 are not movedto the second position.

[2] Modification Example

The above-described example is just an example of the implementation ofthe present invention, and may be modified as follows. In addition, theexample and the modification examples may be implemented in combinationwith each other as necessary.

[2-1] Pen Locking Mechanism

A pen locking mechanism is not limited to that described in the example.For example, the shape of a push member pushed against a recess of anelectronic pen 1 may be a spherical shape or a semi-spherical shapeinstead of a disk shape. The shape of the recess in this case will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 11A and 11B.

FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate an example of a recess 18 a of thismodification example. FIG. 11A illustrates a cross-section of the recess18 a when viewed in a horizontal direction. In this cross-section, arecess surface 181 a of the recess 18 a has a shape overlapping thecircumference of a circle having a radius r1. FIG. 11B illustrates across-section of the recess 18 a when viewed in a vertically downwarddirection. In this cross-section, the recess surface 181 a of the recess18 a has a shape overlapping the circumference of a circle having aradius r2 smaller than the radius r1.

For example, in a case where a spherical push member is pushed againstthe recess 18 a, the push member is gently pushed as the radius of therecess surface 181 a in a movement direction of a housing 10 aincreases, and thus a force for moving the housing 10 a may be small.Accordingly, in a case where a spherical push member is pushed againstthe recess 18 a, a force required to push back the push member duringthe rotation of the electronic pen 1 becomes larger than a forcerequired to push back the push member when the electronic pen 1 is takenout of and in the cradle 2.

Thereby, the rotation of the electronic pen 1 inserted into the cradle 2is suppressed while reducing resistance in extracting and inserting theelectronic pen 1 from and into the cradle 2. Meanwhile, the shape of thepush member may be changed instead of changing the radius of a surfacein which a recess is formed as in the examples illustrated in FIGS. 11Aand 11B. For example, an ellipsoid having a direction in which anelectronic pen is extracted and inserted as a longitudinal direction isconfigured as a push member, and thus a force for pushing back the pushmember is as described above.

[2-2] Force Adjustment Mechanism

A force for moving an electrode up to a first position (hereinafter,referred to as a “first force”) and a force for moving an electrode upto a second position (hereinafter, referred to as a “second force”) maybe adjusted.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example of a cradle 2 b according to thismodification example. The cradle 2 b includes a tip holding member 230b. The tip holding member 230 b includes a plate member 231 b and afulcrum member 232 b. The plate member 231 b includes a rail portion239. The rail portion 239 forms a space in which the fulcrum member 232b is stored, and movably supports the fulcrum member 232 b having acolumnar shape in a direction B21 directed to the contact region 233from the contact region 234 and a direction B22 which is oppositethereto.

The fulcrum member 232 b is fixed to any position in the rail portion239. As a fixed position of the fulcrum member 232 b becomes closer tothe contact region 233, a fulcrum becomes closer to a force point (pointto which the weight of the electronic pen 1 is applied), and anapplication point (point to which a force is applied to the electrodeholding member 240) becomes distant from the fulcrum, and thus avertically upward force F5 applied to the electrode holding member 240in the contact region 234 becomes smaller due to a force F2 applied fromthe electronic pen 1 in the contact region 233. The force F5 is anexample of a first force for moving the electrodes 221 and 222 up to thefirst position.

On contrary, as the fixed position of the fulcrum member 232 b becomesdistant from the contact region 233, the fulcrum becomes distant fromthe force point, and the application point becomes closer to thefulcrum, and thus the force F5 becomes larger even when theabove-mentioned force F2 does not change. For this reason, for example,in a case where the electrodes 221 and 222 do not protrude during theuse thereof or a contact with a cradle terminal is worsened, the contactis restored to its original condition by performing adjustment so as toincrease the force F5.

In addition, even when vertically downward force F1 (which is the sum ofa force from the coil spring 250 and gravity applied to the electrodeholding member 240) which is applied to the contact region 234 does notchange, a force F6 for raising the contact region 233 side of the tipholding member 230 b becomes smaller as the fulcrum becomes closer tothe contact region 234, and the force F6 becomes larger as the fulcrumbecomes distant from the contact region 234. The force F6 is an exampleof a force for returning the tip holding member 230 b to its originalposture, that is, a second force for moving the electrodes 221 and 222to the second position. For this reason, for example, even when the tipholding member 230 b is not returned to its original posture due to theuse thereof, the tip holding member returns to its original posture byperforming adjustment so as to increase the force F6.

In this modification example, the tip holding member 230 b functions asan adjustment mechanism that adjusts a force (for example, the force F5)which is applied to an electrode by the member having a changed postureand the size of a force (for example, the force F6) for returning themember to its original posture. Thereby, for example, even whenelectronic pens having different weights are inserted, the degree ofprotrusion of the electrodes 221 and 222 and a return condition of theposture of the tip holding member 230 b are adjusted by adjusting thefirst force and the second force.

Meanwhile, a configuration of the adjustment mechanism is not limitedthereto. For example, the adjustment mechanism may be a mechanism thatadjusts the first force and the second force by changing the amount ofcontraction of the coil spring 250 by a change in the position of themember that comes into contact with the edge of the coil spring 250. Inaddition, for example, the adjustment mechanism may be a mechanism thatadjusts the first force and the second force by hanging a heavy objectsuch as a weight on the electrode holding member or applying a loadusing a motor or the like. In addition, the adjustment mechanism may bea mechanism that adjusts only the first force, or may be a mechanismthat adjusts only the second force. In short, any mechanism may be usedas the adjustment mechanism insofar as the mechanism adjusts either oneor both of the first force and the second force. In both cases, eitherone or both of a contact condition between the electrode and theterminal and a return condition of the posture of the tip holding memberare adjusted.

[2-3] Pen Rotation Mechanism

When an electronic pen is inserted into a cradle, a pen tip side of theelectronic pen may be regulated to face a specific direction.

FIGS. 13A and 13B illustrate an example of an electronic pen 1 caccording to this modification example. FIG. 13A illustrates theelectronic pen 1 c viewed from the front side, and FIG. 13B illustratesthe electronic pen 1 c viewed in the width direction of the electronicpen 1 c. The electronic pen 1 c includes a tip portion 12 c providedwith an opening 17 c. The opening 17 c has a shape in which a portion ofa circle is broken when viewed from the front side, as illustrated inFIG. 13A, and the broken portion is provided with a pen tip portion 121at which the pen tip 41 is disposed in the tip portion 12 c. Inaddition, an inclined plane 122 is formed in a portion other than thepen tip portion 121 in the tip portion 12 c.

FIGS. 14A and 14B illustrate an example of a cradle 2 c according tothis modification example. FIG. 14A illustrates the cradle 2 c viewedfrom a side into which the electronic pen 1 c is inserted, and FIG. 14Billustrates the inside of a hole 3 c of the cradle 2 c disposed on adesk or the like when viewed in the horizontal direction. The cradle 2 cincludes a regulating member 215 at a position facing the opening 17 cwhen the pen tip 41 of the electronic pen 1 c inserted into the hole 3 cis positioned at a hole 235 c of a tip holding member 230 c.

The regulating member 215 includes an inclined plane 216 in a verticallyupward direction (a side on which the hole 3 c is opened). The inclinedplane 216 is a plane formed to be inclined in such a manner that a sidethereof separated from the hole 235 c of the tip holding member 230 c ishigh and a side thereof close to the hole 235 c is low. The wording“plane formed to be inclined” as used herein refers to a plane of whichthe normal line forms an angle with respect to either a directionperpendicular to an insertion direction B11 or a direction perpendicularto an insertion direction B11. The regulating member 215 is formed to besmaller than the opening 17 c and is configured such that an end thereofon the inclined plane 216 side enters the opening 17 c.

FIGS. 15A and 15B illustrate an example of the behavior of theelectronic pen 1 c inserted into the cradle 2 c. FIG. 15A illustrates astate where the pen tip 41 of the electronic pen 1 c moving in theinsertion direction B11 moves toward a position different from aposition at which the hole 235 c of the tip holding member 230 c isprovided. In this case, the inclined plane 122 of the electronic pen isillustrated in FIGS. 13A and 13B and the inclined plane 216 of theregulating member 215 come into contact with each other, and theelectronic pen 1 c rotates in a rotation direction B31 until theposition of the electronic pen reaches a position at which the hole 235c comes in the insertion direction B11 of the pen tip 41. After theelectronic pen rotates until reaching the position, the regulatingmember 215 enters the opening 17 c, thereby allowing the pen tip 41 topass through the hole 235 c and holding the tip portion 12 c by the tipholding member 230 c.

As described above, the regulating member 215 functions as a rotationmechanism that rotates the electronic pen 1 so that the pen tip 41 isguided to a determined position (in the example of FIGS. 15A and 15B, aposition where the hole 235 c comes in the insertion direction B11 ofthe pen tip 41) when the electronic pen 1 c is inserted into the cradle2 c. Thereby, a cradle terminal of the electronic pen comes into contactwith an electrode without paying attention to the direction of theelectronic pen during the insertion of the electronic pen into thecradle.

[2-4] Number and Arrangement of Electrodes

Although two electrodes are provided in the cradle in the example, thenumber of electrodes to be provided may be one or three or more.Although two electrodes are arranged side by side in the insertiondirection B11 in the example, the electrodes may be arranged side byside in the width direction of the electronic pen. In short, the numberand position of electrodes to be provided may correspond to those ofcradle terminals included in the electronic pen.

[2-5] Function of Cradle

A cradle has a communication function and a charging function in theexample. However, the invention is not limited thereto, and the cradlemay have any one of the functions or may have another function (forexample, a function of being connected to a peripheral device, a displayfunction, a soundproofing function, or the like).

[2-6] Posture Changing Member

Although the tip holding member 230 which is an example of a posturechanging member has a posture changing depending on the weight of theelectronic pen 1 in the example, the invention is not limited thereto.For example, the posture of the electronic pen 1 may be changed by aforce pushed by a user. Thereby, the invention may be applied to, forexample, a cradle into which an electronic pen is inserted in aninsertion direction along a horizontal direction or an insertiondirection having a vertically upward component.

[2-7] Movement to Second Position

Although an electrode is moved to a second position when an electronicpen is extracted from a cradle in the example, the invention is notlimited thereto. For example, even when an electronic pen is extractedby a fixed member that inserts an electrode moved to a first positionand fixes the electrode at the first position, the electrode remainsstopped at the first position, and thus the electrode released from thefixed member may be moved to the second position by a user moving alever provided in a cradle. Even in this case, when the electronic penis inserted, the abrasion of the electrode and a cradle terminal aresuppressed as compared to a case where the electrode is fixed.

The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention has been provided for the purposes of illustration anddescription. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed. Obviously, many modificationsand variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art. Theembodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and its practical applications, therebyenabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments and with the various modifications as are suited tothe particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of theinvention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic apparatus comprising: a supportingmember that supports an electronic pen including a terminal when theelectronic pen is inserted into the electronic apparatus; an electrodethat is movably supported; and a movement mechanism that moves theelectrode to a first position where the electrode comes into directcontact with the terminal by a force received from the electronic pen,when the electronic pen is inserted into the electronic apparatus,wherein the movement mechanism moves the electrode up to a secondposition where the electrode is located before the electronic pen isinserted, when the electronic pen is extracted from the electronicapparatus, in the first position, a free end of the electrode protrudesthrough a hole provided in the electronic apparatus so as to protrudeoutward from the hole in order to come into contact with the terminal,in the second position, the electrode does not protrude through thehole, the movement mechanism moves the electrode to the first positionwhere the electrode comes into direct contact with the terminal when theelectronic pen is inserted into the electronic apparatus in an insertiondirection, and the movement mechanism includes a plate member configuredto move in a first direction that is parallel to the insertion directionin response to the electronic pen being inserted into the electronicapparatus in the insertion direction, and configured to move in a seconddirection that is opposite and parallel to the first direction inresponse to the electronic pen being removed from the electronicapparatus.
 2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein themovement mechanism includes a posture changing member having a posturethat is changed by being pushed by the electronic pen inserted into theelectronic apparatus, moves the electrode up to the first position by aforce applied from the posture changing member having a changed posture,and applies a force for returning the changed posture to an originalposture of the posture changing member to the posture changing memberwhen the electronic pen is extracted to move the electrode up to thesecond position.
 3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 2,wherein the posture changing member is configured such that the postureof the posture changing member is changed by a portion, coming intocontact with the electronic pen, being pushed down due to a weight ofthe electronic pen.
 4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 2,further comprising: an adjustment mechanism that adjusts size of a forceapplied by the posture changing member having a changed posture or sizeof a force for returning the changed posture to the original posture ofthe posture changing member.
 5. The electronic apparatus according toclaim 3, further comprising: an adjustment mechanism that adjusts sizeof a force applied by the posture changing member having a changedposture or size of a force for returning the changed posture to theoriginal posture of the posture changing member.
 6. The electronicapparatus according to claim 2, wherein the electronic pen has a pentip, and wherein the posture changing member is provided with a hole ata location where the pen tip of the electronic pen inserted into theelectronic apparatus is positioned.
 7. The electronic apparatusaccording to claim 3, wherein the electronic pen has a pen tip, andwherein the posture changing member is provided with a hole at alocation where the pen tip of the electronic pen inserted into theelectronic apparatus is positioned.
 8. The electronic apparatusaccording to claim 4, wherein the electronic pen has a pen tip, andwherein the posture changing member is provided with a hole at alocation where the pen tip of the electronic pen inserted into theelectronic apparatus is positioned.
 9. The electronic apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the electronic pen includes a housingincluding a cylindrical portion having a cylindrical shape, and a pentip provided at a position separated from an axis of the cylindricalportion, and wherein the electronic apparatus further comprises arotation mechanism that rotates the electronic pen so that the pen tipis guided to a determined position when the electronic pen is insertedinto the electronic apparatus.
 10. The electronic apparatus according toclaim 2, wherein the electronic pen includes a housing including acylindrical portion having a cylindrical shape, and a pen tip providedat a position separated from an axis of the cylindrical portion, andwherein the electronic apparatus further comprises a rotation mechanismthat rotates the electronic pen so that the pen tip is guided to adetermined position when the electronic pen is inserted into theelectronic apparatus.
 11. The electronic apparatus according to claim 3,wherein the electronic pen includes a housing including a cylindricalportion having a cylindrical shape, and a pen tip provided at a positionseparated from an axis of the cylindrical portion, and wherein theelectronic apparatus further comprises a rotation mechanism that rotatesthe electronic pen so that the pen tip is guided to a determinedposition when the electronic pen is inserted into the electronicapparatus.
 12. The electronic apparatus according to claim 4, whereinthe electronic pen includes a housing including a cylindrical portionhaving a cylindrical shape, and a pen tip provided at a positionseparated from an axis of the cylindrical portion, and wherein theelectronic apparatus further comprises a rotation mechanism that rotatesthe electronic pen so that the pen tip is guided to a determinedposition when the electronic pen is inserted into the electronicapparatus.
 13. The electronic apparatus according to claim 6, whereinthe electronic pen includes a housing including a cylindrical portionhaving a cylindrical shape, and a pen tip provided at a positionseparated from an axis of the cylindrical portion, and wherein theelectronic apparatus further comprises a rotation mechanism that rotatesthe electronic pen so that the pen tip is guided to a determinedposition when the electronic pen is inserted into the electronicapparatus.
 14. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, furthercomprising: an electronic component; and a flexible printed circuit thatelectrically connects the electrode and the electronic component to eachother and has a length corresponding to a distance by which theelectrode moves.
 15. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1,further comprising: a push member that is pushed into a recess of theelectronic pen inserted into the electronic apparatus and is configuredsuch that a force required for pushing back the push member duringrotation of the electronic pen is larger than a force required forpushing back the push member when the electronic pen is taken out of andinto the electronic apparatus.